Field Trip
by starlitkoneko
Summary: When class 2-B takes a weekend trip the woods, Yuugi gets separated from the Puzzle and finds comfort in the strangest place.  Puzzleshipping / Kleptoshipping. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe we're finally going," Anzu sighed, bumping Yuugi with her arm and making it look like an accident. "They say that every time a class goes on this field trip, romance blossoms between at least two students!"

"Wow, a whole two," Jounouchi mocked her. "You sure you like those odds, Anzu?"

Anzu blushed, glancing down at Yuugi then back to Jou angrily. "Well, I'd have better luck finding love than _you_, Jounouchi! Heck, even _Honda_ has more of a chance than you! "

Jou growled and turned to his buddy for support, only to find him leaning over the back of the seat and chatting away with Miho. The blonde looked around the bus, scanning over each and every classmate. Nearly all of them were engaged in conversation, most of them with the opposite sex.

He found himself wishing Kaiba was there; even if a few bold girls hit on _him_, he'd turn them down. Aside from leverage in the argument, Jou was glad the rich teen had passed on the trip, whether it was for his company or Mokuba, the blonde was looking forward to a Kaiba-free weekend.

Jou was about to give up when he spotted a familiar face in the back of the bus. He wondered how he'd managed to miss that cotton puff of white hair but decided he didn't care. This student, too, was talking to someone, but that someone was dead and residing as a manifested memory inside the ancient artifact he wore around his neck. Joey glanced at Yuugi and saw he'd brought his item, too.

"Hey, Yuuge," the blonde reached over and pinched the narrow end of the pyramid. "Why'd you bring this thing? Aren't you afraid of losing it?"

"Afraid doesn't begin to describe it, Jounou," Yuugi replied breathlessly. He cupped the Puzzle in his hands and smiled down at it, "I can't even be apart from the Pharaoh for the weekend; that's why I brought it, even though I know the dangers, I'm confident that our mind link will prevent anyone from taking him from me."

Jou considered telling his friend how gay that sounded, but the look in those large, innocent eyes made him think twice. There was definitely something going on between those two but, without a body of his own, the Pharaoh couldn't possibly love the unique teen in any physical way.

"Speaking of all that mind link stuff," the blonde switched his attention, "there's someone else on this trip that's even less likely to find a relationship than me, Anzu."

"You better not be talking about Yuugi," Anzu said defensively. Yuugi blushed.

"No way," Jou grinned, "the only trouble Yuugi's gonna have in love is finding someone who deserves to be with him."

Yuugi's face grew even redder and he hid himself in the nearest thing at eye level, which happened to be Anzu's chest. The girl let out a surprised yelp but the flustered teen didn't seem to notice what he was doing. Anzu hid her face behind her hair and patted Yuugi's back comfortingly.

Jou watched the situation unfold with great amusement. "Anyway, there's only one other person in our class who has one of those gold items, only he can't control the spirit inside his."

Yuugi turned around slowly, his face still pink but a significantly more natural shade now. "You mean Bakura?"

"Yeah," the blonde gestured toward the back of the bus with his thumb. "If he was just shy and quiet, the girls would eat him up, but as long as that psycho inhabits his body I don't think he'll ever be able to have a relationship."

Yuugi peered at his classmate sadly.

_I wish you knew more about your past, Pharaoh,_ Yuugi eased into the bus seat_. Aside from the obvious reasons, maybe we could find something that we could use to help Bakura, too._

_ I know, Yuugi, _the spirit replied solemnly. _There's a good soul in that body and he doesn't deserve to be manipulated by the evil spirit of the Ring._ There was a pause, then the spirit chuckled. _Have I ever told you how grateful I am that you are my descendant?_

Yuugi blushed and shook his head slowly, lifting the Puzzle to stare at its ancient eye. _Do you really mean that?_

_ Yes,_ the spirit said firmly. _You are everything I could have hoped for in a host, and I am proud to have you as my partner._

Yuugi grinned, looking rather foolish to anyone who saw, but his friends knew what he was up to and had grown used to it by now. _Thank you, spirit. I can't tell you what that means to me._

_ You don't have to. _The spirit projected himself onto the narrow space of seat between Yuugi and the isle. He flashed his signature smile, though it held a hint of something more than the obvious sincerity. His lips didn't move when he spoke to the only one who could hear him, "I know everything you're thinking. I feel everything that you feel," he lifted a holographic hand and held it next to Yuugi's face as though he could really touch him. Yuugi closed his eyes and focused hard. In his mind, he could feel that touch… the one that wasn't really there… and because he could, so could the spirit.

...

Yuugi remained inside his mind for the rest of the bus ride. To onlookers, it would appear as though he'd gone to sleep; and, in a way, he had... or, at least, his body had. His mind had moved on to a place he and the spirit had created together. As much as they loved visiting one another in their soul rooms, Yuugi's was painfully childish and the spirit's was just plain painful. Working together, they'd managed to create a field where the grass was always the perfect length and texture, the weather was always exactly the way they wanted it, and the sun (or moon) could be as high or low in the sky as they liked. When they came here, they could do anything, but they'd typically just lie in the grass; fingers entwined as they stared at the clouds rolling across a bright blue sky, or legs entangled as they stared at each other under the light of the moon. They hardly ever spoke to each other – words just weren't needed in a paradise such as this. Everything that one felt transferred to the other; everything that one thought was silently shared… but, even their thoughts were scarce. During these times, only three words mattered.

"I love you, Aibou," the spirit would say, twisting a blonde bang around his forefinger.

"I love you, too, Mou Hitori no Boku," Yuugi would reply, cheeks stained with a blush and his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart in his chest, head, and throat. The spirit would smirk and turn over, placing his knees on either side of Yuugi's smaller body and leaning forward so his blonde bangs cascaded around his face and tickled his partner's warm cheeks. Yuugi would stare up into those troubling crimson eyes, so full of lust and love but also undeniable confusion, hatred and pain. The spirit would sense his sympathy and silently tell him not to taint his innocent mind with such worries, to which Yuugi would silently reply that any pain the spirit felt was his to share and that he should welcome the lightened load. The spirit, overwhelmed by the purity of his partner and the love he felt for the boy, would lose control of his emotions and claim Yuugi's lips in a desperate yet possessive kiss.

...

"Yuugi? Yuugi, wake up!" Anzu hissed, shaking the small boy. Yuugi groaned and rubbed his eyes irritably.

"What is it, Anzu? Why…" he quickly remembered that he was on a bus and flushed with colour. He turned to the girl and whispered, "Was I…?"

"Yeah," Anzu replied rather snidely, "you were moaning in your sleep."

"Wanna tell us what you were dreaming about , pal?" Jou grinned. Yuugi clenched his fists in his lap and pressed his legs together tightly.

"I didn't say anything, did I?" the small teen asked nervously, thankful that his body hadn't seemed to betray him in his unconscious state.

"Nah," Jou replied, "not that I heard, anyway."

"I didn't hear anything either," Anzu sighed, "and I'm not sure I would have wanted to."

"Guys, I wasn't…" Yuugi's voice left him and he cleared his throat to retrieve it. "I wasn't dreaming about… I mean I wasn't having… n-nothing happened, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Jou had lost interest in the conversation, "whatever you say, Yuuge."

The blonde returned to bothering Honda and Miho and Yuugi gave a sigh of relief, but the girl beside him wasn't so quick to drop it.

"If you weren't having a _special_ dream," she pried, "how did you know why I woke you up?"

Yuugi blushed and looked down quietly. Anzu sighed.

"Fine, I won't bug you about it anymore. I guess there are some things even the best of friends can't talk about."

Yuugi winced, feeling literal pain at her words on top of the shame that was already plaguing him. The spirit (who had been watching to find out why their private time had been interrupted) began to feel Yuugi's emotions and was infuriated by them.

_Aibou, let me take over._

_No,_ Yuugi shook his head, _I think you should stay in there for now._

_Then come in here and let me comfort you._

_I can't. I won't leave my body again. Not on this bus, anyway._

The spirit sighed, _okay, Aibou. Have it your way._

Yuugi nodded, but neither said nor thought another word for the rest of the bus ride.

...

"You okay, pal?" Jou clapped his smaller companion on the back as soon as their feet were on the ground. "You've been quiet since you woke up."

"I think he's mad at us, Jounouchi," Anzu put in, but Yuugi shook his head.

"I'm not mad, guys. You were just teasing me, right?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, I guess," Jou touched his fingertip to his nose, "I forget how sensitive you can be."

Yuugi clutched the Puzzle in one hand and hid his face behind his bangs. "Guess I'll work on that," he said indignantly before turning and running from the group.

"Yuuge, wait!" Jou reached out and called after him but Anzu held him back.

"Give him time," she said plainly. "He'll come around."

Yuugi only ran to the other side of the bus, not wanting to get in trouble on top of everything else. He leaned against the dirty automobile. He opened his mouth to speak to the spirit.

"You should be more aware of yourself."

Yuugi jumped at the voice and saw Bakura approaching him from around the back of the bus. The boy held a lightly formed fist to his smiling lips.

"Beg your pardon, I didn't mean to startle you."

It appeared to be the real Bakura, the good one, but for all intents and purposes Yuugi was on edge. "That's fine. What are you doing?"

"Stalking you," the gently boy said plain as day. Failing to keep a straight face, he giggled. "I saw you part from your mates and thought I'd come check on you. It's not like you to wander off on your own."

Yuugi tensed as Bakura's voice slipped into a devious slur. The puzzle's spirit picked up on this.

_Get away from him, Aibou._

"Where are you going?" Bakura asked, voice back to normal. Yuugi continued stepping slowly backward, toward the front of the bus. Bakura tilted his head. "Yuugi?"

"Mutou Yuugi! Bakura Ryou!" their teacher scolded, "Stop playing hide-and-seek and join your classmates on the other side of the bus. Now!"

...

The students were given a brief tour of the location then allowed to split into same-gendered groups before being assigned a cabin for the weekend. One smart-mouthed classmate suggested that the 'homos' be put into cabins with the opposite gender, so it would be 'fair', to which the teacher replied that there weren't any homosexuals in the class. Yuugi acted natural but stole a glance in the direction he'd last seen Bakura, hoping to study him for a reaction. To his dismay, the boy (or spirit) was nowhere to be found.

Having left after school on Friday, there wasn't much daylight left once everyone was settled in. The staff set the students on course for building and starting campfires with promise that, once the fire was made to standards, they could be done for the night. While gathering materials, Yuugi eased into talking to his friends once more and, by the time they had their fire started, it was as if his embarrassing episode had never happened. The spirit was relieved to see his partner happy, but couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal stemming from the way Yuugi felt about the incident. He did his best to suppress it so that Yuugi could continue to enjoy his night.

As long as the teachers remained awake, the students were allowed to mingle regardless of gender. Yuugi's group consisted of the usual – himself, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu and Miho. They made a point to converse with classmates who built their fires nearby, but stuck mostly to each other. At one point, Miho commented a passing firefly and Honda made it his personal mission to catch a firefly for her before the end of the night.

When the chirping of the crickets began to rival the sound of chattering teenagers, the last of the girl's chaperones announced that she was turning in, meaning any girls who were still outside had to return to their cabins pronto. Anzu and Miho said their goodbyes and Honda offered to walk them to their cabin since he was, apparently, 'just about to turn in anyway'.

Yuugi chuckled at the display while Jou merely rolled his eyes. "What does Miho see in him, anyway?" the blonde asked, poking their fire with a stick. Before Yuugi could vocalize the warning on his tongue, a sassy orange flame began licking its way up the poker. Jou grinned and agitated the logs further, making them crack and send sparking ash particles into the air. Yuugi frowned.

"You shouldn't be so reckless, Jounou," he chastised, but Jou wasn't listening. Instead, he was looking over Yuugi's shoulder. The boy turned to see why and felt his heart jump into his throat.

"Hey, guys," the gentle boy waved, "the girls I was hanging out with all had to go to bed, so I was hoping I could join you two."

"Wh…"

"What were you doing hanging out with just girls, Bakura?" Jou rested his ankle on his knee, conveniently blocking the space beside him with his now-bent leg. Ryou set himself on the empty log beside Yuugi and set down the items he'd been carrying.

"I get along better with them than guys, I suppose," the white-haired boy looked around and snatched two long sticks from behind the log he'd sat on. In a surprising display of strength, he drove the sticks into the ground on either side of the fire. Jou and Yuugi watched quietly as their classmate located a third stick, this one thicker than the others, and slipped it through the handle of the tea kettle he'd brought along. He then positioned the kettle over the fire, using the two vertically placed sticks as balance for the third. He observed his crude structure, nodding affirmatively before sitting back down and clapping his hands to his knees, a broad smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind."

"What's in the kettle, Bakura?" Jou went to poke it but Bakura was at his side and grasping his wrist before anyone saw him move. "Hey, what gives?"

"You shouldn't touch that," Bakura warned darkly, then his smile was bright again. "I wouldn't want it to fall over and get us in trouble."

"R…right," Jou slid his hand through Bakura's loosened grip and followed the frail boy with sharp eyes until he was seated again. "So, what's in it?"

"Water," Bakura replied, reaching into his blazer's pocket and taking out various small, paper rectangles. "For these."

"What're those?" Jou asked with unsure curiosity. Yuugi spoke up again.

"That's tea, Jounou," he explained, "or, it becomes tea when you put it in water."

"Wha?" Jou sat back, "you guys are pulling my leg. Tea doesn't look like that."

"It's English," Bakura explained, "I bought it overseas. I much prefer it to Japanese tea. Would you guys like to try some?"

Jou made a rude humming noise while Yuugi looked back and forth from the kettle to the bags.

_It seems safe enough, and I have always wanted to try English tea._

The spirit was quiet. Yuugi began to worry.

_Pharaoh?_

Silence, then quietly, _I won't stop you, just be careful, Aibou._

Yuugi was troubled by the spirit's distance, but tried to ignore it. He nodded firmly, "sure, Bakura. I'd like one."

Bakura smiled broadly, "oh, wonderful! The girls all loved it, and I think you will, too, Yuugi!"

Yuugi smiled nervously. If he was telling the truth, then someone else already drank it and was okay. But, just to be safe… "Jounou, you should have some, too. My grandpa said it's really good."

Jou half-smiled, "your gramps said that, huh? Well, he might be crazy now but he travelled the world once upon a time, right?"

Yuugi nodded, feeling a wave of relief.

...

The kettle whistled and the boys watched with interest as Bakura slipped his sleeve over his hand to grasp it and pour the boiled water into the cups he'd also carried with him.

"I hope you don't mind," he said as he set the kettle aside and tore open one of the paper packages. A small cloth-like bag with a string and a tag was inside. Bakura put the bag in the water. "These are the only three cups I have, so the girls kind of already used them."

"Pff, fine by me," Jou reached for the cup but Bakura stopped him.

"It's not ready yet."

Jou pouted and Yuugi laughed softly. While the boys were distracted, Bakura glanced at the tea packets and chose one with a tiny black mark on the corner. He opened it and placed it in the second cup, setting that one between himself and Yuugi before moving on to the third.

...

"I can't promise you'll like this," Bakura removed the bag and strained it into the first cup. He handed it to Jou and continued, "a lot of people add things to their tea to make it taste better."

"Like what?" Jou asked, accepting the cup.

"Sugar, cream, honey," Bakura counted off, then picked up Yuugi's cup and strained the bag with the same carefulness. "Things I couldn't safely bring here."

"I'll keep that in mind," Yuugi commented, taking the cup as it was offered to him. He watched as Jou took the first gulp, void of distrust. The blonde winced and held the mug up to look it over.

"Well, it's something," Jou commented before taking a second sip. Yuugi gave a sigh of relief and looked down at the liquid in his cup. His reflection gazed back at him darkly, then molded to look like the spirit. Before Yuugi could decide if he was imagining things, his arm was bumped and the tea sloshed up the edges of the cup, fully distorting the mirror. "Hey, try it, Yuuge."

Yuugi glanced back at the settling drink and saw only himself, then sighed heavily before taking a modest sip.

No one saw Bakura's lips curve into a smirk.

...

"Hey, the fire's dyin," Joey poked at it sleepily. "We should go get more wood."

"I don't think so," Yuugi wasn't feeling drowsy yet, "I think it's time for us to turn in, Jounou."

"Oh, come on, Yuuge!" Jou protested. "Just because our chaperone fell asleep on the porch doesn't mean we need to be all model student and do the right thing."

"Jounou…"

"I don't normally condone bad behavior," Bakura said gently, "but your friend is right. How often does our whole class take a field trip to the woods? We should enjoy it while we can."

Yuugi felt wary. "Everyone's going to have to wake up at the same time tomorrow, guys. What do you think our teachers will say if we're all exhausted?"

"Tell you what, Yuugi," Jou yawned and poked the fire again. "You remember where we found this firewood? How there was that one piece with the marks in it that looked like the eye on your puzzle and you didn't wanna burn it because of that?"

"Yes…" Yuugi replied, not liking where this thought train was going. Jou grinned.

"You go get that piece of wood and throw it in here. Then, we'll put the fire out with Bakura's water and go inside for the night."

Yuugi clenched his arm. "I can't find something that detailed in the dark."

"Yuu~ge," Jou whined, "we've been out here for hours, and the moon is really bright!"

"Jounou…"

"Fine," Jou stood up fast, "I'll hel… woah…" Yuugi watched his friend fall back onto his butt and hold his head, "got a little dizzy there…"

Yuugi sighed, "okay, Jounou, if that's the only way to make you go to bed, I'll do it."

"Nah, you don't have to…" Jou waved a hand. "Come on, Yuugi. Let's go to bed."

Bakura witnessed their exchange as he gathered his things. "Well, guys, it was nice spending all this time with you. I hope we can do something like it again, sometime."

"Yeah," Jou replied drowsily, "thanks for… tea…"

Yuugi, who had just been hit by a wave of sleepiness himself, struggled to comprehend whether or not his best friend had actually just passed out. "Jouno?"

A lack of response left Yuugi thinking yes, he had. Bakura smiled pitifully and set his things down. "I suppose you'll be needing help carrying him to your cabin?"

"Yeah, thanks," Yuugi yawned. "I guess he was more tired than he… let on…"

Bakura hid his face in his hair and grinned, then exposed a gentle smile to Yuugi. "Why don't you wait here? I'll wake up the teacher and…"

"No!" Yuugi surprised himself with the force in his voice. "No, we can't have him see us…."

"Yuugi?" Bakura feigned concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Just a li'l…" the small teen yawned and his head spontaneously gained five pounds. "Tired…"

Bakura dove forward elegantly and caught the toppling body as it lost consciousness. The dull hum of the Puzzle signaling imminent takeover was heard, and the thief swiftly removed the item from Yuugi's neck.

"Not this time, Pharaoh," the spirit of the ring chided. "This time, he's mine…"


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** I haven't been replying to my reviewers so I think I'm gonna try doing that again ^_^_  
><strong>Cheshire:<strong> yeah, yuugi doesn't know about that yet though ^^  
><strong>Dizzy:<strong> Is it well written? i only write this one at 1 AM when I'm trying to sleep so it's far from my best work  
><strong>Shamrock:<strong> Thank you ^^  
><strong>Queen:<strong> Hehe sorry. Hope this chapter's worth the wait ~steals cookie before you read it just in case~

* * *

><p>Yuugi and Jounouchi woke the next day to their teacher's voice over a camp-like intercom. They were in their cabin, but Yuugi immediately knew something was wrong. Even in his sleep, he heard the Pharaoh's voice… sensed his presence, always… but not that night.<p>

He woke slowly, his head pounding, that empty feeling in his heart growing stronger with each passing second. Honda was up and getting ready. Jou was curled up in a ball with the pillow atop his head. Yuugi reached beside his bed and…

"_My Puzzle_!"

Jounouchi shot up in bed and looked around frantically, "what? What's the matter, Yuuge?"

"My Puzzle!" Yuugi cried again, "it's gone!"

Jounouchi groaned loudly as his head throbbed and he laid back down with the pillow over his face. Yuugi could only stare at him in hopeless confusion until Jou's mumbling voice came through.

"When was the last time you had it?"

"Last night, of course!" Yuugi replied quickly, "during the campfire."

"Uh-huh," Jou agreed, "then how did we get here? I don't remember coming back."

"You fell asleep," Yuugi recalled painfully. His vision blurred and the room contorted. Vague images flashed by his eyes. "You fell asleep, and the teacher…"

Jou peeked out from under the pillow, "did he yell at you?"

Yuugi thought about it. "No, no he never woke up. At least, I don't think he did…"

"I think you'd remember getting yelled at," Honda put in, then propped his hands on his waist. "What did you two do after I went to bed? You're acting like you've both got hangovers."

"Shut up," Jou demanded, tossing his pillow across the room. Honda caught it and put it on the couch. Jou whined, "give it back, Honda!"

"You need to get out of bed," Honda replied. "You, too, Yuugi. We'll report your missing Puzzle to the teachers. That thing's not easy to miss, it'll turn up in no time."

"Bakura!" Yuugi exclaimed suddenly. "Bakura… can use his Ring to locate my Puzzle."

Jou glared at the ceiling. He didn't know why, but just hearing that boy's name made him angry. "Hey, Yuugi," he said thoughtfully, "have we talked to Bakura since we've been here?"

Yuugi's head felt fuzzy. "I don't think so," he replied. "Oh, wait! Yeah, I talked to him when we got off the bus. He was worried because he thought we were fighting."

"Worried about us?" Jou sneered. "Why?"

Yuugi shrugged. "Not sure. I never got a chance to ask him."

"He probably values friendship like yours," Honda laughed, "since he doesn't have any friends."

Jou and Yuugi agreed (though the latter with less enthusiasm) then pulled themselves from bed and got ready.

Yuugi was antsy during the entire morning meeting. He did what he could to pay attention but he was itching to talk to Bakura. After the meet they were dismissed for breakfast; Yuugi bolted off while Jou held Anzu back and explained what'd happened… or, at least, what he could remember of it.

"Bakura!" Yuugi called when he caught sight of the boy.

"Yuugi?" Bakura turned slowly, smiling nervously when he saw the other approaching. "Well, this is a surprise."

"I need your help," Yuugi said frankly.

"Oh, my. With what?"

Yuugi instinctively went to clutch the chain his puzzle hung on and felt his heart sink. "It's gone."

"What's g…" Bakura observed the lack of a golden pyramid amidst the teen's body and his eyes widened. "Oh, my."

Yuugi clenched his fist against his chest. "Will you help me find it?"

"Of course," Bakura nodded, holding his hand over his chest and summoning the Ring forward. It phased through his clothing then he grasped Yuugi's hand and offered a comforting smile. "Let's go."

Yuugi followed Bakura into the woods, caring little for the trouble they'd be in when they were found missing. Once they were safely out of sight, Bakura released his hold on Yuugi's hand, lifted his Ring and commanded it to locate the power of the Sennen Puzzle. For a moment, its pointers lay dormant and Yuugi felt an uncontrollable fear creeping up on him. Then, the pointers hummed as they began to glow and lift on their own. Bakura cast a grin over his shoulder and Yuugi just smiled in relief.

The boys followed the Ring like a compass, deep into the woods. Once or twice, it would cease to glow and the pointers would fall limp. Each time, they would start up again after a moment or two.

"The Pharaoh must be really weak," Yuugi mused quietly. Bakura felt a pang of jealousy listening to the small teen's anxiety but reminded himself that his plan would not work if rushed.

"Indeed," he offered just as quietly, "but, you know, this isn't the first time my Ring has tried to locate your puzzle when you were separated from it."

"It's not?" Yuugi blinked then bowed his head, "I thought I was taking good care of it, but you make it sound like I lose it often."

Bakura grit his teeth but didn't let frustration show in his voice, "That's not what I meant. It was actually the first time I saw you using a chain instead of a rope, and this is the first time it's gone missing since then, isn't it?"

"Oh, that was the first time I dueled Marik," Yuugi recalled. "Only I didn't know it at first because he had possessed Bandit Keith."

"That explains why you were dueling him that day," Bakura said in his best Ryou voice. "By the way, I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop him before he shattered the puzzle. I was really worried when you didn't show up to class that day, and when I found out what happened after I left you in that warehouse I… well, I never got to tell you how bad it made me feel."

"That's okay, Bakura," Yuugi sighed… not exactly the reaction the spirit had been hoping for upon hearing that confession. He bit his tongue and estimated how close they were to his destination, when Yuugi suddenly gave a half-hearted chuckle. "I don't know which is worse, losing it because I was dumb enough to hand it over, or not being able to remember how I lost it at all."

"The signal is getting stronger," Bakura feigned one of Ryou's comforting smiles. Yuugi was momentarily excited, then began to grow suspicious as Bakura's pace quickened and a small cabin came into view on the path ahead. The cabin resembled the ones they were staying in but was much older and clearly abandoned. He tried to tell himself that the steady glow of the Sennen Ring's locators only meant that the puzzle was nearby, and the eager way the item now pulled its wearer toward the cabin was sheer coincidence.

But, Yuugi wasn't that stupid.

"Bakura, wait!"

"I can't!" Bakura kept up his act. "It's…"

Yuugi caught up to his classmate and grabbed him by the wrist, feeling the tug of the Ring even though the contact had seemed to still the other. Wide, brown eyes regarded him with wonder, and he looked back with genuine concern. "What if it's a trap?"

"Yuugi," Bakura spoke slowly, "there's nobody out here but us."

"We don't know that!" Yuugi protested, tugging on his acquaintance's arm and triggering a mild shock which he mistook for understanding. He gazed at the Ring, still glowing and tugging incessantly, then returned his eyes to the other boy desperately. "Are you sure we can trust it?"

"The Ring?" Bakura asked with disbelief. "Of course! It lead me to you the first time, didn't it?"

Yuugi stared at the old cabin. "The pharaoh wasn't as weak that time, and the power of Marik's Sennen Item was also in the room. It was probably tracking _that_."

Bakura growled and started moving forward. "Come on, Yuugi," he demanded, "if we don't try, we're never going to find it, and right now I'm your only hope."

Yuugi stumbled as he was still gripping Bakura's wrist when the latter chose to resume moving. "Bakura!" he called in protest as the boy in question walked right up to the cabin door. The smaller teen now wrapped both arms around the arm he held and tugged. "We can't go in there!"

"Are you mad, Yuugi?" Bakura asked huskily, making the other pause and stare. "My Ring is guiding us, just as you asked, and I would think your puzzle was important enough to you to risk walking into a trap if it meant being reunited with your item and the pharaoh."

Yuugi attempted to say his classmate's name again, but it barely came out in a whisper. He wasn't sure which stunned him more, the boy's behavior or the glaring truth to his words. Now he felt as though he might be heading into a double trap, but the fact remained that reconnecting with the spirit of the puzzle should have been his top priority, and he now made it so. He nodded as confidently as he could and took a step back so Bakura could open the door.

The old handle turned with surprising ease but when the door was pulled it revealed itself to be locked from the inside. Yuugi's heart sank but Bakura growled and tried again; he yanked on the door, shook it violently, then pressed one foot to the wall and prepared to pull with all his strength. Unaware that it was all an act, Yuugi grew concerned, ran over and placed his hands over Bakura's.

"Stop," the smaller teen directed, "if you cause any damage this whole thing might collapse in on itself."

Bakura had been stunned by the sudden touch but thousands of years of remaining emotionless had trained him well and he shook it off before Yuugi even noticed. Still, he kept his hands in place, not wanting the contact to end. "You're right," he said thoughtfully, eyeing the building. A window on the left side had been broken open but it was too high for either of them to climb through. With teamwork, however…. "Yuugi, do you see that?"

Yuugi looked in the indicated direction and grimaced. "What are you thinking, Bakura?"

"Well," Bakura grinned, "if you let me pick you up, I think I can give you enough of a boost that you could reach it, and then you could unlock the cabin from the inside."

Yuugi touched his shoulder nervously. "I don't know, Bakura. What if there's nothing for me to land on inside?"

"Yuugi," Bakura chided, "I've seen you jump down from dueling platforms and those are at least twice as high as this."

Yuugi's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. "I only do that when my adrenaline is up."

Bakura smiled, though it was his own so it was more of a gentle smirk. "You'll be fine."

After a moment or two of encouragement, Yuugi finally agreed. They approached the target and the smaller boy began analyzing the best way to get up. Without listening, Bakura licked his lips and scooped up the object of his desire, earning a surprised yelp from the latter. Bakura merely grinned, continuing to ignore the accusative sputters from his pocket-sized companion. With only a brief warning, Bakura exhibited his strength by lifting Yuugi effortlessly onto his shoulders, placing him in a sitting position first so they could hold steady while he stepped closer to the building. His mind threatened to wander but he willed his concentration to remain.

"Are we close enough, Yuugi?" Bakura asked, unable to look up.

"Yeah," Yuugi replied shakily. "It's still a little out of reach, though."

_Was it really that high up?_ Bakura thought, then shook his head and slid his hands down Yuugi's shins and gripped his ankles. "You'll have to stand on my shoulders, then."

"What?" Yuugi shrieked and jolted, throwing Bakura off-balance and tensing up to prevent from screaming as the teen below him steadied himself once more. "S…sorry…"

"Forget it," Bakura grumbled, gripping his ankles again, "all you need to think about right now is getting inside. Don't worry about me."

Yuugi trembled slightly, "I'm not…" he looked up at the window and swallowed hard. Without another word, he drew one leg up and hooked the heel of his shoe against Bakura's shoulder. Bakura winced slightly but reacted no further.

"Steady," the spirit spoke softly, "I've got you…"

Yuugi barely heard the first word and completely missed the other three; however this was as Bakura had intended it. When the smaller teen drew up his second leg, he was less shaky than before. When the time came to unbend his knees, though, he began to tremble again. The spirit encouraged him quietly as before.

With Bakura's strangely gentle guidance, Yuugi found himself standing up in no time. He peered into the cabin with some reluctance but knew they'd come too far to back down now. He investigated the frame for broken glass but there wasn't much so he grasped the ledge, swallowed hard and willed his heart to stop pounding. He closed his eyes tight and mustered all his strength to boost himself up and through the window.

As soon as the weight left his shoulders, Bakura looked up. Yuugi had successfully gotten onto the window sill but appeared to be having trouble as his legs were still visible and not moving much. The spirit took a step back to get a better look and heard a crunch beneath his shoe. He looked down briefly and chuckled, wondering how his companion had failed to noticed the glass shards all around.

When he looked up again, Yuugi had managed to get his lower half in and his hands were now visible, gripping the outer edge of the sill as he lowered himself down on the inside. Bakura was about to call up and ask if he was okay when the hands disappeared and a thud was heard from within. The spirit chuckled and headed for the door which soon opened slowly to reveal a slightly disheveled Yuugi.

Bakura put on his best surprised Ryou look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Yuugi said thoughtfully, pointing to the far corner as Bakura entered the small cabin. Two rows of boxes were stacked against the wall beneath the window and an old bed was positioned strangely nearby. The mattress looked slightly weathered but had been sealed in an air-tight, plastic cover that shielded it from everything the rest of the building had endured. The shorter teen looked up at his companion with a shrug, "I'm not sure why those things are arranged like that, but it made getting down a little easier."

Bakura observed the situation with a faint nod. "That's good. Have you found your puzzle?"

Yuugi shook his head and looked for something to prop the door open. "No, it was too dark."

"I see," Bakura lifted his Ring, but nothing happened. Yuugi found an old wooden board and jammed it under the door before joining his friend in the middle of the strange building.

"I don't think it's in here, Bakura," the smaller teen spoke nervously, "and that door won't stay open for long."

"It's okay," Bakura gave a Ryou smile, "you already opened it once, so we know we're safe even if it closes on us. Let's have a look around."

Yuugi eyed his companion as the latter strolled around. There wasn't much else in the strange cabin, but Bakura found a desk tucked in the far corner and began to go through it. Yuugi reached out and began to voice his doubt that a thief would have hidden the puzzle there when his thoughts were interrupted by the cry of unoiled hinges as the prop came loose and the cabin door swung shut.

They were left in complete darkness, save an eerie light pouring in from the window as the sun hung in the sky. Tiny fragments of light came through what could have been holes in the walls or spaces between boards where other windows used to be, but it was the only indication that a second or third window ever existed.

"Bakura…" Yuugi called out, having slowly paced toward the corner, using his outstretched arm to guide him. He didn't want to go that way, it was exactly opposite to the only light source in the room, but knowing his acquaintance's whereabouts seemed like the most important thing at the time. He heard a rustling from where he remembered the door to be and instinctively turned his head that way despite his still-limited vision. "Bakura, where are you?"

"By the door!" Bakura answered, feigning a voice that was growing troubled. "I walked along the walls until I found it but… it's stuck!"

Yuugi's breath caught in his throat.

"I can't…" Bakura grunted as he fought with the door. He sighed and lifted his Ring which still refused to glow. He gave an exasperated sigh and turned to face the darkness. Truthfully, he could see just fine, and he could sense Yuugi's fear. It filled him with desire, though not that which he usually felt when facing his prey. This time, he didn't want to feed that fear; he wanted to take it away.


End file.
